Fire and Fury
by Illeana Starbright
Summary: Besides being a chronic insomeniac and best friends with Will Stronghold and Layla Williams, Ally Ryder also had a temper and a talent for attracting the wrong kind of attention. So what? She could handle it. Right?
1. Chapter 1

_2AM, Ryder Home- Ally's POV_

Another game of Minesweeper failed. Alliane Ryder sighed and glared at her computer screen. Her alarm clock, flashing across the room, proclaimed proudly that the time was two in the morning. She couldn't sleep. Her mother would be throwing a fit if she knew that Ally was still awake at this time of night, especially on the day before school started. Dad would have laughed had he still been alive. Her form wavered for a second at that thought. Her father had once been The Commander's faithful sidekick before he had been killed and The Commander's wife Josie had taken the position. She clicked the new game button on her computer and started again. _2:13AM_. She had lost again. _2:30AM._ And another game. _2:41AM._ And the next one. _3:02AM._ And she had almost won that game. Ally glared harshly at her computer screen and then at the clock again. _3:03AM._ And she was still awake. She glanced toward her phone and debated the merits of calling Will or Layla just to have someone to talk to. After a moment of consideration she shook her head and went back to Minesweeper._  
_

At four in the morning she had given up on Minesweeper and moved on to Spider Solitaire. At least she could actually win that game. She went through three successful games before she was bored and went back to Minesweeper. _5:49AM._ That was when Ally shut down her computer and slipped under her covers. Her alarm went off at seven in the morning, giving her half an hour to prepare. She stumbled under the cold spray of the shower, dressed in jeans and a shirt, and stumbled out the door. She paused to grab an apple off the table for breakfast. She had only gotten an hour and ten minutes of sleep. Her messenger bag bounced on her hip as she scrambled around the corner to the bus stop where Layla Williams and William Stronghold (more commonly known as Will) were waiting for her. "Do you feel well?" Layla asked, eyeing her friend with concern.

"Yeah. I just didn't sleep much last night," Ally said breezily. Truth be told she _never_ slept very much. She was terrified of her own dreams, burning in bright technicolor and trapping her inside their horrid embrace until her screaming alarm pulled her out of the chilling embrace of Mother Sleep.

"You know that's-" Layla began. The red haired girl would have started the two and a half year old argument again had Will not cut in.

"Hey look, there's the bus." Both girl's stared at him as if he came from an alien planet.

"What was in your breakfast?" Ally asked and Layla giggled. The bus pulled up and all three scrambled on, heading for seats half way back.

"All right guys," the bus driver said as he pulled away from their stop. "This is where the ride gets a little...interesting."

"Umm...what?" Ally mumbled, glancing at her two best friends. Both of them shrugged. That was when the bus literally flew off the end of the half completed bridge. It took all of Ally's willpower not to scream. She was done screaming; at nightmares, at her mother when she drank too much, at the little shocking things that happened during the day. Instead she closed her eyes as the bus soared up in the sky.

Layla woke her up a few minutes later by poking her repeatedly in the shoulder. "Time to get moving. We'll discuss your sleeping habits later," her friend said. Ally simply nodded, grateful that Layla wasn't bringing up the subject then and there. She, Layla, and Will followed the other slightly shocked freshmen into the gym. Ally was sure she and Layla were the only ones who looked mostly unimpressed.

"Hey Will? Will!"

"Don't look now," Ally mumbled. "Here comes the Zach Attack." Will snickered and Layla grinned. Zachary Braun, also known as Zach Attack or just plain Zach, had been Will's elementary school best friend.

"Hey Will. I thought that was you," Zach said with a grin. "And Layla and Ally too. I never understood how you ended up with all the pretty girls. OW!" He yelped when both Ally and Layla smacked him on the back of the head.

"So what's your power?" Layla asked to keep the conversation going.

"Well," Zach said flushing slightly. "I kinda glow." He looked as if he expected them to laugh.

"Cool," Ally said instead of laughing. "That way if some super villain ever decides to turn out the lights on us well still be able to find him and kick his butt." Zach beamed at her while Will and Layla smiled gratefully behind his back. That was when Zach walked backwards into a girl with purple streaks in her hair and black combat boots.

"Watch where you're going klutz," the girl grumbled as Zach scrambled back to his feet, apologizing profusely. He finally made his way through his apologies and offered their names. The girl looked over them for a moment before smiling slightly and saying, "Magenta but you can call me Maj. I shapeshift. Into a guinea pig."

"Seriously?" Layla asked, sounding impressed, and Magenta nodded, grinning.

"Yeah. This is Ethan by the way. He melts into a puddle," she added, hooking a thumb at the African American boy behind her. They all said their hellos as the testing started.

Ally zoned out until she heard Coach Boomer call, "Alliane Ryder." Ally walked up to the platform. "So what do you do?" he asked.

"Turn invisible," Ally said with a shrug. "It's just me though." As an example she simply vanished and then reappeared again. Her clothes vanished with her but anything she wasn't wearing, mainly her backpack, was still visible.

Coach Boomer thought about that for a moment before calling, "Sidekick." Ally joined the other sidekicks in time to hear Layla argue with the Coach about the moral questionablility of testing and labeling teenagers until she labeled sidekick. Will joined Ally, Layla, Maj, Ethan, and Zach after proving he had no powers whatsoever. Ally made it through the rest of the day in a daze and ended up right back where she started, playing Minesweeper even though it was only nine at night and not two in the morning.


	2. Chapter 2

_7:35AM, Ryder House-Ally's POV_

"Alliane Ryder if you don't get your butt up now we're all going to miss the bus!" Ally moaned tiredly in the general direction of her window and glanced at the clock. _7:36AM._ She had plenty of time. The bus didn't come until _7:45AM._ Wait..._7:45AM_? Oh crap! Ally dove out of her bed and, after grabbing a random shirt and pair of jeans, dashed into the shower. She was out of the shower by _7:42AM_ and waiting with her still damp hair in a ponytail at the bus stop one minute before the bus came.

"Thanks for waking me," Ally told Layla once they were seated on the bus.

"No problem," Layla replied with an easy grin.

"What happened?" Maj asked, turning around in her seat to glance at Layla and Ally.

"I missed my alarm and woke up with Layla shouting at me from the apple tree by my window at almost _7:40_ in the morning," Ally explained with an almost bashful smile. "Most I've slept in forever though."

"And you made the bus on time?" Zach asked, his voice well colored with disbelief.

"Yup," Ally, Layla, and Will all said at the same time before laughing. Maj grinned while Ethan and Zach exchanged mystified looks as they struggled to identify the source of our amusement. The bus landed safely at Sky High again and the day began with a series of crazy classes that made up a totally normal routine. Lunch was the only thing Ally was truly looking forward too. She was still standing in line when Will began making his way across the cafeteria. Then, for no go reason whatsoever, he tripped. Will Stronghold may have never been very coordinated but he was at least graceful enough not to trip on the cafeteria floor and spill his lunch all over the one boy who had good reason to hate him; Warren Peace.

"Oh crap," Ally muttered as she watched Warren's head lift up, his dark eyes seeming to turn into bottomless wells of shadow. This wasn't going to be good.

_12:10PM, Sky High Cafeteria- Warren's POV_

It was Stronghold. Of course it was Warren kidding? Fate hated him. The one boy who made him want to kill someone had just nearly fallen on him and spilled his lunch everywhere. The boy who had no powers and still a flock of chattering friends and admirers anyway all because of who his father was. The cafeteria had gone dead silent. Horrified eyes were all focused on him and the boy he now pulled up off the floor. "Uh...sorry," Stronghold managed to get out looking nervously around.

"You will be." The words came out sharp and hot. Warren meant every one of them too.

"Okay," Will said slowly. "Let's not do this."

"You think you can just do whatever you want 'cause you're name's Stronghold?"

"I'm sorry that my dad put your dad in jail but-" Wrong thing to say. Warren felt his temper light up like the flames inside him were dying to do.

"Nobody talks about my father," he snarled, shoving Will back and igniting his arms. Will's eyes went wide with panic as he scrambled back.

"Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The crowd chanted. Someone shouted for a teacher to do something. Someone ran for Principal Powers. All Warren cared about was annihilating the boy in front of him who had just dove under one of the cafeteria tables. Warren climbed on top of the table, tossing fireball after fireball down.

"Where's you're sidekick, sidekick?" he taunted.

"Right here," a voice called and he saw Stronghold's friends standing at the edge of the crowd.

"Wait! Don't do this," one voice yelled and a slim girl pushed her way through just as Warren reignited his flames.

"Leave them alone." Suddenly the table was lifting up in the air, higher and higher.

"He's strong," the flower power girl said with a grin.

"I'm strong?" Will said, making it sound like a shocked question rather than an affirmative.

"Super strong," Gwen, senior class president, added in an almost thoughtful tone. That was when Stronghold threw the table.

Warren crashed into the outside wall of the cafeteria and the crowd cheered. He stumbled to his feet slowly, anger still flaming in his chest, and the crowd scrambled aside. "Stronghold," he yelled and Will turned and lashed out at him, sending him flying back. Warren forced himself to his feet again, reigniting.

"Stop it!" The same girl who had told them to quit before scrambled in between he and Stronghold. "You guys are being so stupid." Will shoved her aside, always acting the gallant hero just like his no good father, as Warren advanced. That was when someone doused him with the fire extinguisher. When the spray finally cleared the girl was glaring at both of them. "I told you to _stop_," she hissed and Warren felt a wave of annoyance wash over him. As if he was going to do what she told him.

"Mr. Peace, Mr. Stronghold," Principal Powers suddenly called, stalking over in her heels. "Miss Ryder, my office, _now_."

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To _frozenangel1988 _my apologies if I kept you up playing Minesweeper because of that part in the story... Unfortunately it is addicting. Thanks for the review!


	3. Chapter 3

_12:30PM, Sky High Detention Room- Warren's POV_

"I would love to say I hadn't expected this but unfortunately I did," Principal Powers fumed. Warren rolled his eyes in exasperation as he sank into a chair in the detention room, the other two slinking in behind him. "Mr. Peace you should know better than to start fights with other students by now. Mr. Stronghold I expected better of you than to start an all out brawl in my cafeteria."

"But I-" Stronghold began to protest before Powers cut him off.

"I don't care to hear your excuses," she snapped. She used that on anyone who had protested her judgement. Principal Powers saw herself as the ultimate power at Sky High and it did no good to argue with her perception of things. Warren had never tried and now he smirked as Stronghold looked shocked. "Miss Ryder." Principal powers paused and massaged her temples for a moment, looking uncharacteristically stressed, before continuing. "Please don't strive to fill your sister's position in the this school. It's been two years since I've had to deal with her kind of trouble and I'd appreciate not having a repeat."

"Yes ma'am," the girl said calmly, sinking into a chair with her messenger bag clutched to her side.

"None of you need to worry," Principal Powers said after nodding in acknowledgement to the girl's words. "Powers do not work in this room. You have the rest of the day to consider your actions." Then she turned and shut the door behind her. It clicked locked and Warren turned half closed eyes to survey the other two. The girl had pulled out a pad and was drawing while Will was leaning over her shoulder. He whispered something to her and she considered it for a moment before nodding. Stronghold took a deep breath and turned back to him.

"Look," he began tentatively. "Whatever is going on between our parents, it doesn't have to spread to us." Warren didn't say anything, hoping that Stronghold would shut up. Who was this boy trying to fool? Even if Warren agreed to setting their parent's quarrel aside he would never be accepted. "So-" Will continued almost shyly.

"Truce," he and the girl chorused at the exact same time. Will offered Warren his hand then. Warren glared at the younger boy, hoping he would take a hint. When Stronghold didn't Warren felt his earlier irritation returned and he grabbed Will's hand, throwing the smaller boy to the ground.

"I say if you cross me again, either of you, I'll roast you." He saw in their eyes that both of them had suddenly realized that Warren was not only stronger than both of them but had another year of experience. The girl stumbled as she scrambled free of the desk, eyes wide. Stronghold's blue eyes were frightened as he cowered away from Warren. "Am I understood?" he asked sharply.

"Y-yes," Stronghold stammered nervously. Suddenly Warren felt a hand at his collar trying to pull him up. He released Stronghold and spun, the girl stumbling back from him. Warren flicked his wrist slightly as if he were going to ignite. He saw Stronghold flinch visibly out of the corner of his eye but the girl barely twitched.

"What is your problem?" she asked softly, eyes intent and determined as they locked on his.

"People like you and you're friend who expected people to bow down to them because of who their family is," Warren replied harshly but no louder than she had spoken. His eyes seared into hers and she flinched slightly.

"Hey," Will said suddenly, jerking Warren back. "Leave her alone." That was it. Warren had taken enough crap from these two, Stronghold especially but really the both of them. He spun around and punched Will hard, sending the smaller boy tumbling to the ground. His foot slammed hard into Will's side and the boy cried out, struggling to get to his feet.

"Leave him alone," the girl cried. When Warren ignored her, kicking Will again instead, she slammed her elbow into the back of his neck hard. He whirled around and lashed out at her but she had already ducked. She rammed into him hard enough to make him gasp in a quick breath as he caught her in a headlock. _Wham_. Will's first punch hit him square in the shoulder blade, followed by one to the chest when Warren released the girl and turned. Will's second punch caught him in the chest. There was some strength behind it but it was nothing like his hits backed by his super strength. Warren shoved him hard enough to send Stronghold stumbling back over a couple of the desk. Stronghold and the desks went crashing to the floor, sending the girl's sketchbook and bag to the floor. She let out a little hurt cry and Will's blue eyes turned helpless and pained.

"Oh Ally, I'm sorry," he stammered, trying to scramble to his feet. Warren simply shoved the desk in his way to one side and yanked Will up by the collar. His fist slammed into the other boy's face and the girl yelled something, a high reedy sound lost in Will's yell of pain as he tried to twist free of Warren. The girl, Ally, scrambled by them both and snatched up her sketchbook, checking it over for tears or bends in the papers held between the covers.

_Click-click-click-click._

Warren released Stronghold and sank back into one of the desks as Will and Ally straightened the fallen desks and sank into the newly righted desks. Principal Powers entered the room less than twelve seconds later. "I hope you've all seriously taken your actions into consideration and decided not to give me a repeat of them tomorrow," she said seriously. "Now you three can go. If you hurry you might even make the bus." Then she turned and walked away, leaving the door open behind her.

"The bus," Will and Ally both said in a breathless voice that almost made Warren want to laugh. He was smirking as they both spun and went flying down the halls. Warren followed them at a more leisurely pace, pausing when he noticed the black sketchpad Ally had been drawing in at the beginning of detention lying on the ground. He picked it up. He'd have to find a way to give it back to her tomorrow, or not.

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Thanks to _LilianneB _for the review last chapter (hopefully this is soon enough for you)! I own nothing


	4. Chapter 4

_8:45PM, Ryder House- Ally's POV_

She had never been so scared in her life. Ally lay on her bed in her pajama pants and tank top staring at the white ceiling above her. Part of her mind was occupied listening for her mother's footsteps to enter the house below her, part of her was shivering away from the memories of the afternoon, and part of her was itching to draw. Finally she rolled over and began digging through her messenger bag for her sketchpad. It wasn't there. Ally felt herself begin to hyperventilate. "Oh girl, calm down," she mumbled to herself. "It has to be here somehow." She began to dig through her bag the again when she heard footsteps downstairs.

"Alliane Nicole Ryder," her mother yelled. "Get your butt down her right this instant." Ally stood and walked down the stairs to meet her mother in the small circle of light from the entryway. "What were you thinking today?" her mother snapped. "Getting into a fight on the first day of school? You're no better than you're no good sister." Layne-no good? Ally felt angry tears begin to well in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to," she protested, trying to smooth things over.

"Of course you didn't mean to," her mother snapped. "That makes everything so much better."

"Have you been drinking again?" Ally asked suddenly, catching the smell of alcohol on her mother's breath.

"We're not talking about me, we're talking about you," her mother protested.

"So it's okay to criticize me when all I did was try to break up a fight between one of my friends and another boy," Ally snapped. "And it's okay to criticize my sister who has a good stable job, a boyfriend who adores her, and doesn't drink but it isn't okay to point out your destructive habits?"

"Your sister is a no good hero who thinks she's going to save the world and who is really going to be killed just like her father," Ally's mother yelled.

"YOU LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE," Ally screamed, spinning around and running for the stairs, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I'm not done talking to you, young lady," her mother yelled after her.

"I'M DONE WITH YOU," Ally screamed back and grabbed her bag and jacket, tossing some clothes in an overnight bag. She shoved her feet in her yellow converse, grabbed her gym shoes, and ran down the stairs, past her mother, and out the door. Outside she stood for a moment, staring into the night, before she stumbled off toward Layla's house.

_9:20PM, William's House- Layla's POV_

Layla was doing the last of her homework when there came a knock on her bedroom door. Her mother, Kaitlyn, poked her head inside her daughter's room with a smile. "There's a friend here to see you," she said. "And she looks like a train wreck."

"Send her in," Layla said immediately, pushing aside her homework and sitting up on her bed. In a few minutes Ally came stumbling in, her face coated in tear stains.

"Mom and I got into a fight," she said, taking in a shuddering breath.

"Oh honey," Layla said, shooting to her feet and pulling her friend into a hug. Ally sobbed on the red head's shoulder and recounted the whole horrible affair. Layla listened and held her friend tight until she calmed down. "Well you can crash here for as long as you need to. That is if you can stand the health food," Layla informed her friend. Ally managed a watery smile and a weak laugh at that. "Seriously," Layla said in a more firm tone. "Stay as long as you need."

"Thanks Lee-Lee," Ally mumbled, stretching out across Layla's bed next to the red head and yawning widely.

"Any time Ally-cat," Layla replied and before they knew it both girls were sound asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

_7:49AM, Sky High Commons- Ally's POV_

Catching the bus from Layla's was surprisingly simple. Will never stopped to question why she had come from Layla's house instead of her own, a fact for which Ally was eternally grateful. It was a simple matter on the bus to slip her earbuds in and almost fall asleep to the Indiana Jones Theme. She hadn't slept well again, her mind plagued by repetitions of her argument with her mother. Layla roused her when they landed and they scrambled off the bus to join Maj, Zach, and Ethan. Morning classes were, fortunately, predictable. Afternoon classes were a different matter. Will had been transferred to the Hero track. Ally and the others told him they didn't mind. He left almost shyly, leaving Ally to read the expressions on her friend's faces.

Maj's held forced indifference, Layla's pride and admiration, Ethan's simple happiness, and Zach's a little jealousy. None of them seemed to really resent Will though, they just all wished they were in his position. Ally honestly didn't care. Her sister Layne was the one who had always wanted to go zooming in and save the day. Ally had just mostly wanted to help. All in all she was perfect sidekick material. Ally smiled slightly when she considered Layne.

Her older sister had blonde hair that was so light it was almost white blonde and big baby blue eyes that just about melted your heart. Her smiles were wide and uncontrollable and her laughter made her whole face light up. Ally loved Layne like she loved air. Her sister was currently a sidekick to her fiance, Derrick, in Chicago, Illinois. Even though they e-mailed back and forth Ally missed talking to her sister in person, giggling over cute boys, rolling their eyes at the people who thought they knew everything, and getting their mother to laugh like she was a little kid again. Ever since Layne had left Ally's mother had begun building up a wall of resentment between her and her eldest to deal with Layne's sudden departure. Last night was the final straw for Ally. Layne was a big girl and shouldn't have needed to stay just to keep her mother sane. Layne and Ally's mother needed to get over their father's death.

The end of the day conversation somehow drifted off toward Layne. "Have you heard from your sister?" Will asked as he bounded over to them.

"Not lately," Ally replied with a slim smile. "Why? Do you still have that bizarre crush on her?"

"Umm, no," Will said, flushing slightly much to Maj's delight.

"Is she coming for your birthday?" Layla asked as the group boarded the bus.

"I don't know," Ally replied, sinking into her usual afternoon seat next to Maj. "Like I said I haven't heard from her lately."

"And you aren't worried about her at all?" Zach asked.

"Uh, no," Ally replied. "Should I? Do you know something I don't?"

"No," Zach said. "I just wondered."

"Where's your sister at?" Ethan asked, quickly changing the track the conversation was taking.

"In Chicago," Ally replied as the bus landed on pavement. "She's a sidekick to her fiance."

"Oooh," Maj cooed. "Is he hot?"

"Um, eww," Ally said, wrinkling her nose. "He's my sister's girlfriend. That's just gross." They all started laughing then and couldn't stop until Layla, Will, and Ally stumbled off the bus giggling. Suddenly Ally paused as a depressing thought hit her, stopping her in her tracks.

"What's wrong?" Will asked.

"My sketchpad," Ally replied. "I couldn't find it last night."

"Why don't we all go look at your house. It's probably hiding somewhere that you didn't have time to look," Layla suggested. Ally happily agreed and led the way to her house, unlocking the door and scrambling up the stairs to her room with her friends behind her. They searched for a good hour and a half before they gave up. It was no use, Ally's sketchbook was simply gone.

"Where could it be?" she wailed, feeling tears slide down her cheeks.

"Don't worry," Will reassured her. "We'll find it." Layla nodded her agreement and ushered her distraught friend downstairs and into the Williams' living room. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon eating ice cream and watching comedians on television but nothing could stop the ache in Ally's chest as she pined for the missing sketchbook.


	6. Chapter 6

_8:12PM, Peace House- Warren's POV_

He had to wait until his mother, Kayla, was gone so he could grab her powerbook. The tiny computer contained all the names of registered heroes and sidekicks along with their powers. It seemed to take forever for the powerbook to start up and even longer to hack into his mother's account. Kayla Peace was an official record keeper for the official hero council. He typed in the correct name and waited for it to bring up the results. While he waited he glanced at the sketchpad sitting next to him. He flipped it open and was greeted by a man's face staring openly at him. The man was dressed in some kind of military uniform and his eyes were as bright with life as possible in a picture. The powerbook beeped, reminding him of what he was doing. He clicked on the first entry and a list of names came up. The first one was Jenna Ryder.

A strong sense of foreboding hit him hard in the stomach. He hoped that didn't mean what he thought it did. Often enough if there was an adult in the family without powers they were listed first. It didn't necessarily mean that Jenna's husband was dead. Sure enough Jenna had no powers. The next listing was for a Layne Michelle Ryder. She was gifted, with the ability to create force fields. She was a sidekick in Chicago and hadn't been anywhere near her home for a year. The next listing was Alliane Nicole Ryder. Ally's power, invisibility, was listed along with her age, height, weight, and current school. It was the last entry though that was going to change everything. Alexander Christopher Ryder. Killed in action.

The report giving the details of Alexander Ryder's death was painfully short and to the point. Warren's father had killed the man in an escape attempt. Alexander had been blessed with the same powers as his two daughters. He could have turned invisible and fled to get help at any time but he had instead held the force field between everyone else and Baron Battle until the guards could reseal his father inside the prison. The effort had burned him out completely. Alexander had simply burned away to ashes, spontaneous human combustion. That was what happened when a hero or villain used their powers past the point that their body could hold up. Warren glanced at the picture on his screen, comparing it to the picture in the sketchbook. The images were exactly the same. Ally had lost her father when she was twelve. He shook his head and shut the powerbook, snapping the sketchpad closed.

_8:19PM, Williams House- Ally's POV_

"So when did you last see your sketchbook?" Layla asked as the two girls lay sprawled across her bed.

"During detention when Will fell on it," Ally said.

"Where do you put it at the end of detention?" Layla said, continuing with her line of questioning. Ally closed her eyes, trying to focus on what had happened that afternoon.

"I shoved it in the top of my bag as I ran out the door," Ally said slowly.

"Which means?" Layla prodded gently.

"That it might have fallen out," Ally said, feeling a ball of dread begin to coil in her stomach.

"Who could have it then?" Layla asked, sounding frustrated. "The office? Does it have your name in it?"

"Yes," Ally said, trying to understand why she felt as if the answer to her question was leading to her execution.

"Then why haven't they called you down and given it back? It wouldn't be as if they didn't know who it belongs to," Layla grumbled, sounding annoyed. That was when it dawned on Ally, the whole dreadful truth.

"That's because the office doesn't have it," Ally said slowly, feeling as if she would be sick.

"Then who does?" Layla grumbled. "Please tell me because I'm tired of guessing blindly."

"The office doesn't have it because they never got a chance to pick it up," Ally groaned, closing her eyes and fighting down the urge to puke.

"Then who picked it up," Layla asked, sitting up and glancing with concern at her friend.

"Warren Peace."

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_Thanks to frozenangel1988 (yes she sure as heck does!) for reviewing the last chapter. I own nothing but Ally_


	7. Chapter 7

_12:10PM, Sky High Cafeteria- Ally's POV_

She hadn't slept well the night before. She had tossed and turned, throwing different scenarios around in her head. She knew she had to talk to Warren, her not having her sketchbook was like an asthmatic not having an inhaler, but she really didn't want to confront Warren Peace. Her stomach was tied in knots and she felt like she was going to puke as she watched the students drift in and out of the cafeteria. She leaned against the wall near the entrance, having declined to eat lunch because of her nerves. Instead she stood there sipping her water and waiting for the ceiling to cave in on her so she could escape what was to come. When Warren Peace came out of the cafeteria Ally peeled herself away from the wall and matched her stride to his.

"What do you want?" he said sharply, pausing in the middle of the empty hall and wheeling around to face her. Ally resisted the urge to flinch away and forced herself to meet his eyes.

"I want my sketchbook back," she said softly, proud that her voice didn't waver.

"Are you accusing me of something?" he asked, voice deadly, and this time Ally did take a step back.

"No," she managed to get out. "Just suggesting that you may have picked it up and haven't gotten around to giving it back yet." Warren studied her for a moment before nodding slightly and turning away from her.

"Follow me," he said over his shoulder and Ally did, her mind whirling a hundred miles a minute. He opened his locker and pulled out her sketchbook still unharmed. Ally wrapped her arms around it, holding it to her chest like a precious child. She had it back. It was as if something inside her had just clicked back into place.

"Thank you," she said and her voice gushed with so much real gratitude that this time it was Warren who took a step back. Then he nodded slightly and Ally rushed away from him, unwilling to be in his intimidating presence any longer than she actually had to. She practically floated through the day on a cloud of bliss. She had her sketchbook back and the world was in the right again.

That night while Layla was taking a shower Ally took the time to go through her sketchpad page by page, looking lovingly at each drawing. Some of them were better than others but each was precious in its own way. Nothing seemed to have been changed or ripped all. Everything was just as it had last been. That was when she reached the last page, the unfinished sketch of Warren she had started in the detention room. Written lightly in pencil in the top right corner was a note. _I'm sorry for my father_. And just like that everything changed, again.

* * *

_Thank you _Pandora's little box_ and _WeasleyTwinsAreMyLife_ for reviewing the last chapter! I apologize for the delay and hope to post another chapter tomorrow to make up for it. I own nothing but Ally_


	8. Chapter 8

_4:01 AM, Williams' House- Ally's POV_

It was four in the morning and she was still drawing. She simply couldn't help herself. Ever since she had gotten her sketchbook back the urge to draw had been like the urge to pee, unforgettable. Now, with only three hours until she would have to be up for school, she was sketching still by the light of the moon. Being a chronic insomniac wasn't actually unusual for Ally. Ever since her father's death she hadn't slept well yet she refused to dip into her family's funds to visit a doctor and be prescribed sleeping pills. Too many things happened when the night was alive that she couldn't miss because she was deep in some drugged slumber. No, the staying up far past when anyone else wasn't unusual. What she was drawing was.

It was Warren Peace surrounded by blazing flames that billowed with darkness at the center to match his empty, dark eyes. They consumed her, like two black holes so empty that they sucked everything in but never let any light out. Except for once. The moment he gave back her sketchbook and she cradled it to her chest she swore his gaze almost softened. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself. Then there had been the note.

She carefully sketched in the finishing touches on her picture and chewed on her lip almost absentmindedly. There was something going on with that boy that she didn't understand. Why was he so mean to everyone else? Why did he work so hard to push them away? And why did he seem to hate her and Will without knowing them before yet refrain from burning her sketchbook and giving her the ashes or hanging the pictures all over the school or some equally vicious prank? Finally she placed the pencil and sketchpad to one side, curling up on Layla's beanbag chair that she was using as a bed since she hadn't felt like re-inflating the air mattress, and drifted off to sleep.

_The air around her was thick with smoke. It poured out of almost every surface and flames crackled just a few feet ahead, making her scream and then choke. She rolled off her bed to the floor, gasping for breath and wheezing when she couldn't get any oxygen. She tried to crawl toward her bedroom door but she couldn't get far. Her vision was blurring now as the fire and smoke moved in. She tried to get out a scream but she couldn't even get enough air to breathe let alone form words. Just before she was killed, dead in a blaze of fire and black smoke, strong arms yanked her up and pulled her out._

_She was laying on dew wet grass with fire trucks howling around her, gasping in sweet oxygen. After a moment her stomach began to convulse and she rolled over, puking all over the ground next to her. "Are you okay?" a voice asked from above her and to her left but when she tried to look up to see who it was she had to puke again.  
_

_"Fine," she mumbled out, leaning her head against her elbow.  
_

_"Liar," the voice replied but it was in an almost affectionate tone and she managed and weak laugh that tapered off into a cough. "Take the day off tomorrow."  
_

"Ally wake up or we're going to miss the bus!" Ally woke up with a gasp, sitting straight up and causing Layla to jerk back with a startled cry.

"Sorry," Ally muttered, flushing, and Layla giggled.

"It's okay," the red head replied. "The shower's all yours. I've already taken mine. You have twenty minutes before the bus comes."

"Thanks Lee-Lee," Ally said with a grateful smile.

"No problem Ally-cat," Layla replied, heading downstairs. Ally grinned again before gathering up her clothes for the day and heading into the bathroom. Her last thought before the bliss of the warm shower woke her up completely was; _What kind of dream was that?_

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_Thanks to _lunarweather_ for the review last chapter! I'm glad my story is different than most peoples and that Ally fits into the story well! I own nothing but Ally. Enjoy!_


	9. Chapter 9

_12:25 PM, Sky High Cafeteria- Ally's POV  
_Everyone was gushing about homecoming. If possible to do so without being caught by her friends Ally would have rolled her eyes. Will was going with Gwen, senior heartbreaker, and had hurt Layla in the process. Sometimes he was such an idiot. Ethan was going with Maj who had also, unknowingly, hurt Zach. Layla had agreed to go with Zach as friends since neither one of them had dates. Ally wasn't planning on going.

Her sister, Layne, had adored homecoming as had her mother. Ally hated the whole idea of it. Dresses, music, dancing, and public humiliation. There was no way on earth she was going. Maj and Layla had tried and failed to convince her otherwise and now she listened in amusement as they debated over dress colors. Layla wanted to wear green and Maj wanted to wear neon orange, something that Layla had instantly said no to. The argument that had started fifteen minutes ago was still going strong. "You cannot wear neon orange with your hair," Layla snapped for the eighteenth time already that lunch period.

"That's rich coming from little miss unoriginality," Maj snapped back. "You wear green every single day. At least orange is different for me."

"And going to look completely horrid with the purple streaks in your hair," Layla cut in.

"Just cool it for a minute," Ally cut in with a laugh. "How about you guys give me your dress sizes and I'll pick your dresses out for you?" Layla and Maj gave her considering looks before both nodding slowly. "Great," Ally said, pulling a small notepad out of her pocket that she kept there for reminders. "Write them in here for me then."

That afternoon armed with Maj and Layla's dress sizes she headed for the local shopping boutique. She searched around but didn't find anything that she thought would look at all flattering for either of her friends. That meant she had to convince her mother to drive her to the mall for dresses which required her actually going to homecoming. She sighed but left the store and headed for home. "Mom?" she called questioningly and was surprised when her mother actually came out of the living room.

"What do you need?" her mother asked in an almost hostile tone.

"To go dress shopping for homecoming," Ally admitted reluctantly.

"Why don't you go with that Williams' girl, Lena or whatever her name is, instead of bothering me?" her mother snapped.

"Because I'm also picking out my friends' dresses as a surprise for them and I can't let her see," Ally explained with as much patience as she could muster. "Please mom."

"Fine," her mother grumbled, stomping back into the living room. "Let me get my purse."

The tension in the car was undeniable but it eased some when Ally let her mother pick the dress store. For the first time since Layne had left for Chicago they actually laughed together as they looked over dresses. Her mother found the perfect one for Maj, a black dress with silver and white beads along one side of the collar, and Ally found Layla a turquoise one. Finally she picked out a dark blue one for herself. The tension that had dissolved a little came back on the car ride to Layla's house but Ally still gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before heading up the drive and into Layla's house.

_1:15AM, Outside the Williams' House- Gwen's POV_

"Do we really need her?" she grumbled into the phone, staring up at Layla's bedroom window. The two girls inside were enjoying themselves, their laughter drifting down through the open window.

"Yes," came the cold reply. "We need to know what she sees. I need her alive."

"Fine," Gwen answered. "You'll have her two days from now at homecoming." Then she snapped the phone shut and stalked away, muttering under her breath as she went.

* * *

_Sorry for not updating sooner! Thanks to _WeasleyTwinsAreMyLife, Zs, _and _Little Old Me _for reviewing the last chapter. I own nothing but Ally_


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